


territorial

by organictomato



Series: territorial [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Uchiha Sasuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Ninjas, Bonding, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Feral Behavior, Kushina is the daimyo of the Fire Land, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting, Omega Uzumaki Naruto, Scenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24727537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/organictomato/pseuds/organictomato
Summary: Naruto, future daimyo of the land of fire, would be the happiest man alive if his stupid boyfriend learned how to talk things out like a proper human being.Sasuke, Anbu operative, reaches the point where he wouldfinallystart reaping the rewards of his hard work and maybe settle down with his favorite idiot already.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: territorial [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907548
Comments: 37
Kudos: 305





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my longer-ish take on omegaverse. There will absolutely be no awful treatment towards omegas here, this is just me writing the ninja rom-com I've been craving. It's Mature for sex themes, but not Explicit (I might add sex scenes as separate fics later on).  
> I hope you have fun with this one too!

“I know your heart, and you know mine.”

Daydreaming in his office, Sasuke’s parting words reverberated in his head and made him feel heavy. It's been more than three months that Sasuke's been on mission. They haven’t talked for days when Naruto finally noticed Sasuke was gone, both too caught up in their own pride to discuss things like proper adults. 

He wanted to hate himself for this, how Sasuke’s absence opened a permanent hole in his chest. Despite his diggings, Naruto found absolutely nothing regarding a mission involving the Uchiha heir, and with everyone acting normal, he wouldn’t know better if he didn’t miss the bastard every single day until he finally broke and went looking for him. 

It’s been months now and he was now absolutely prohibited to enter his mother’s office and the ANBU’s headquarters and his father’s office _and_ not even his bestest puppy eyes managed to sway Iruka-sensei. Naruto was going mad and he couldn’t even blame it on his upcoming heat. 

It didn’t help at all that the last time he talked to Sasuke was weird and intense and with so much left unsaid, and there was nothing worse than things left unfinished.

“I know your heart, and you know mine.”

He didn’t, or he thought the raven didn’t because why the hell would Sasuke leave like this? On such a secretive mission that even he didn’t get to know about? He felt hot and tingly and feverish with anger.

Or, wait, maybe this right now wasn’t all just anger, no. He looked down at the documents in his office table, and they seemed completely foreign, words jumping up and running from view. He sighed, getting up and walking around for a while until he decided to make some ginseng tea. 

Damned Sasuke Uchiha, distracting him when he was lord knows where. Naruto desperately needed to take care of these documents before he took his heat leave. Three to four days were a considerable gap when your country was in the middle of peace negotiations _and_ you happened to be the first son and heir of the daimyo.

But heats were inevitable as far as everyone knew, and no one would question his absence. He’s probably been thinking so much about Sasuke lately because his clothes didn’t smell like him anymore after such a long absence (the clothes Naruto furtively stole from the Uchiha estate about two months ago). And how irritating it was that his eyes burned thinking he has to go through a heat without the alpha’s scent.

Naruto sighed, filling his teacup with ginseng tea and gingerly sipping it. Rubbing his eyes he organized his table again, resolutely deciding to stop getting emotional over the idiot he called a boyfriend. He really needed to finish his work for the day anyway.

-

Inside the Uzumaki compound, Naruto had a whole wing to himself. Not only was he the first son and heir apparent to the daimyo, but he was also the only omega in his family apart from his father. The wing was a fully functioning household by itself, and Naruto remembered how lonely he would feel in his childhood, isolated from most of his family every time he went to sleep. While growing up, however, he started transforming the place to better suit him and reveled in the freedom it conferred.

Walking towards the bedroom, he greeted the servants good evening and stopped here and there to gather a soft pillow or blanket or throw that caught his eye. A few more items wouldn’t hurt. Lost in thoughts, he arrived in his room before long and mentally rearranged his nest when he noticed something out of place. 

A soft colored package rested by the foot of his bed, tied by a simple red ribbon.

Dropping everything on the floor, he ran towards it, ripping the package open with the voracity of an omega in heat. His whole body trembled when the scent hit him, and his fingers gingerly touched the lapel of a dark blue kimono. Naruto felt his mouth heavy with the smell of his lover, a tingling and heated sensation spreading over his body. 

Idiot. 

What a fucking idiot, he thought again, pulling the soft cloth to his face, whimpering with the familiar and delicious smell. On a daze, he somehow managed to climb into his nest, rearranging pillows and blankets and clothes until he fit right in the middle. Finally nested, he let himself go, welcoming his heat with Sasuke’s kimono firmly pressed against him.

-

Sasuke returned to Konoha after three months and two weeks on a mission, with the midday sun shining oppressively over his team. He thought briefly that he missed an entire season and the blossoming of Naruto's favorite trees, and that the blonde must be very unhappy with him. But it wasn’t for nothing that he had accepted this particular mission. If all went well, he would soon be promoted and would have fewer long-term operations outside the village.

When he decided to join the Anbu, he opposed everyone in his family. As the second heir to the Uchiha clan, he was expected to assume a stable and secure position. Something that would bring more prestige to the family or at least guarantee good connections. Despite it being the most important organization of the Fire country, all Anbu members were anonymous and their achievements remained in the shadows.

Sasuke didn't give a damn, however. At the time, he desperately wanted an opportunity to learn new techniques and improve his dojutsu, to feel what true power meant. He wanted to be a fundamental piece for the daimyo and her successor, after. He took on as many long-term missions as possible with the greed of a power-thirsty, adrenaline-addicted teenager.

No matter how many sighs and disapproving looks at his choice elicited, he never regretted his decisions. But now things were different - he was an adult who’s grown comfortable in his own skin and learned the value of fostering relationships. It definitely didn’t hurt when he was one of the most feared men in the five nations. Not when he had other goals, or better yet another goal.

He was going to marry and bond Uzumaki Naruto.

-

Sasuke stopped briefly at headquarters to formally complete the mission before heading towards the Uchiha complex. It was horribly hot, which seemed to heighten the feel of grime and dirt on his body after such a long mission. His ward was quiet and organized, as usual, his servants understood him without needing long conversations or prolonged interaction. Upon arriving, he asked only to be notified of his arrival to his parents and brother and headed for his quarters, dismissing everyone.

He undressed inside the bedroom, folding his clothes and going to the private onsen. Washing and rinsing thoroughly, especially his hair, he entered the bath, reveling in the warm waters of the thermal pool. The indoor garden helped to keep the temperature stable, even in the strong afternoon sun, and finally, he was able to let his guard down and relax. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, enjoying the comfort of the waters.

Sasuke woke up stunned with the darkened sky and someone knocking on the ornate onsen door. He got up and pulled a towel and robe from the closet, drying himself and covering his body before opening the door. A young beta, with flushed cheeks, was waiting for him.

"Yes, Yuki?"

"Ah, Uchiha-san, a package has arrived from the Uzumaki house." he paused, looking slightly embarrassed, "There were strict instructions to bring it straight to you, sir."

“Thank you, Yuki. You may leave and please make sure no one interrupts me. I will join the family at dinner time. ”

“Y-yes, Uchiha-san. Please excuse me."

Sasuke saw the boy hurry out and headed towards his room. He didn't bother to put anything on, already having some idea of what this package was about, both because of poor Yuki's reaction and the faint smell that permeated the room. Even for a beta like Yuki, the smell of an omega in heat was disruptive in many ways.

He took a deep breath as he approached the package on his desk. It looked simple, covered by cream linen, and tied by a strip of orange silk printed with the Uzumaki spiral. The smell, however… it seemed to make the air heavy around him, clinging to his skin, filling his lung and pressing against the bottom of his tongue - cinnamon and orange blossom.

He untied the knot, opening the outer layer and had to step back with the intensity of the scent, which hit him like a fist. His own blue kimono was carefully folded, arranged too innocently for something with such an obscene perfume.

He smiled perversely, the pads of his fingers traveling low, down his taut belly.

Naruto returned his kindness, sending him back the kimono he had worn through his heat.


	2. two

Itachi regarded his younger brother carefully as he reviewed and signed multiple documents at once. It was the longest mission Sasuke has taken so far. Three long months without any contact, without even Naruto managing to extract any information about it. He had deep, dark circles around his eyes and barely even touched his dinner. 

“Have you had your debriefing with the daimyo yet, otouto?”

“You know very well that I don’t answer directly to her, Itachi”, Sasuke answered, almost bored, not diverting his attention from his current task.

Sighing, Itachi regarded the painted paper walls that surrounded his personal studio. Having Sasuke near filled him with enough peace of mind to observe the panels that once enchanted him as a child. They portrayed Amateratsu, goddess of the sun and the universe, emerging from her cave. He felt comfort following the brilliant colors and sinuous lines of each character, listening to Sasuke's soft brushstrokes. Still, spurring over Sasuke was his favorite sport, and this kind of answer wouldn’t do.

“You will probably have to meet with the daimyo over this, sooner or later.” Itachi smiled as Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched.

“What could you possibly be talking about, Itachi?” was his controlled, yet almost exasperated answer. 

Since his dear otouto wouldn’t rise to the bait, Itachi decided to be straight forward.

“The revival of the Akatsuki is not something that the daimyo would ignore.”

Sasuke froze completely at this, eyes still fixed on the last word he wrote on the scroll. He was getting quite good at containing himself, lately. Itachi almost missed the times when his little brother would lash out at the mere hint of provocation. So it was with a bit of disappointment, to be entirely honest, that Itachi saw Sasuke take a deep breath and face him calmly.

“If there’s any veracity to such ridiculous claims, I’m sure the daimyo will take care of it.”

Ah, seems like he wouldn’t be able to probe into state secrets anymore. His mouth twitched, and Sasuke definitely caught that, if the sudden glint in his eyes was any indication.

“Very well, then. You should know that the rumors will spread quickly, though. It seems there’s a self-proclaimed prophet going around spouting such ridiculous claims to the masses.”

“I see… I guess, thank you for this information, nii-san.”

“Not a problem at all, otouto. Now, I’m sure this is the last document that needs your attention today.”

He casually dropped the red scroll in front of Sasuke, who frowned, carefully opening it, a look of confusion transforming his face yet again.

“What is this, exactly?”

“Well, we do need to discuss the matter of your inheritance. The main house will be mine, of course, but we need to reach an agreement about the family library and the treasury.”

This seemed to catch Sasuke by surprise. Interesting.

“This will be of interest to your future heirs, too, they can’t _all_ expect to be daimyo after Naruto.” Itachi added, just to see red blooming on his otouto’s face as he spluttered.

Ah, now that’s better.

“I also hoped to talk to you about your plans.”

“My… plans,” was the wary response.

“Your marriage plans, of course.”

Sasuke’s mouth thinned, remembering dinner. For a while now, their mother has been addressing the subject of the upcoming nuptials. Fugaku and Itachi never participated until then, but it was obvious that Itachi was just biding his time. A soft huff escaped the man’s mouth, as his eyes darted to the painted paper walls.

“It is none of your business, Itachi. This is between me and Naruto.”

If he was any less dignified, Itachi would have snorted at that. He contented himself with a discreet roll of eyes.

“You are engaged to the future daimyo, Sasuke, this was never a matter between just the two of you,” and, before his little brother could spit and bristle, “Besides, you are still part of the clan, and we must uphold some traditions. Marriage celebrations are never as simple as an agreement between soon-to-be-spouses. There's a lot of preparation and planning to it. You can’t be that ignorant to the tension everyone is feeling at this point, including Naruto.”

There was his expressive otouto, with his pinched nose and pouty lips. He quickly took a deep breath, however, with an almost haunted expression morphing his face.

“There’s still something I must do, first. Naruto knows that, his family knows that, you know that.”

Sighing, Itachi followed Sasuke's gaze to the center of the painting, where rays of glorious light emanate from Amateratsu, illuminating the once darkened world. Even after so many years, Orochimaru’s legacy was a scythe over their heads. 

-

People have been bizarrely and inexplicably obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke from a very early age. It was particularly baffling to one Uzumaki Naruto that the younger, less strong, and intelligent Uchiha brother could always get the cake and eat it too. Which was enough, of course, to spur a very intense rivalry between the two boys when they were six.

While Naruto’s own brand of fixation came from a generally benign, if quite misguided, place, the same could not be said for pretty much anyone else. Girls would mob Sasuke at school and try to catch his hair strands. Boys would leave smelly personal items inside his locker and try to accost him at any opportunity. It was often murmured what a blessing it would be for Sasuke to present as a beta, with an unassuming scent and physique. Fate was never in agreement with any living being, however, and presenting as an alpha brought in a whole new level of intensity from Sasuke’s pursuers.

For years, Sasuke kept focused on a perfect façade, sitting cold and untouchable at the top of his class. Youngest Chidori yielder in history, people would whisper, in awe. But there was so much more to life than working his hardest to be a perfect son, someone to honor the family name even if he'd never be first in anything when it came to his older brother. It was Naruto, with his relentless optimism and freakish amounts of energy who first created a crack to Sasuke's cold persona. They became friends. They became teammates. They became the terror of their teachers. 

With Naruto, in the enclosed grounds of the Uzumaki training fields, he could let go of the pressure. His best friend gave him no judgment, no pitiful stares. He could set himself free from all the rage and frustration inside of him with earth-shattering blows, with exhilarating spars. They’ve been through enough in their first outside missions, plenty of seemingly easy tasks going awfully wrong. “Hard lessons”, Iruka-sensei would say, “aren’t always best, but you are going to grow from this if you do it together.” 

When push came to shove, they were the ones he could rely on. His sensei, his brother, his parents, even Sakura and, of course, Naruto.

Naruto.

Naruto.

Naruto seemed like the only person he could see, sometimes. 

Naruto wasn’t the only one who saw him, even though it was all he ever wanted, sometimes.

Power-thirsty and hell-bent on unlocking the secret to immortality, Orochimaru looked at the Sharingan as his greatest opportunity yet. He might not be able to touch many of those who awakened it, but a fourteen-year-old outstanding alpha with amazing control proved to be too much of a temptation to resist. Orochimaru devised an attack to Konoha during the Chūnin Exams, the most tightly guarded in history thanks to Naruto’s participation (who certainly didn’t have to take it, which meant he certainly did, despite his mother’s fury). During the chaos and confusion, the snake barged in the exam, curse-marking and manipulating Sasuke to follow him right under everyone’s nose. 

What followed was this, in short:

Uchiha Itachi razed half of the continent in search of his little brother, coming close to being considered a deserter.

Uzumaki Naruto, and team seven to an extent, were responsible for razing the other half.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn’t rescued so much as he actually freed himself after two long years of torture and experimentation.

Only to run away from Konoha trying to make sense of the madness inside himself. 

Uzumaki Kushina was left to play all of her cards in just the right way to avoid a world war. 

Konoha's shadow leader, the Hokage, employed his best ninjas to bring Orochimaru’s head for all to see. It is still displayed at the Royal Konoha Museum to this day.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, one Yakushi Kabuto went missing for more than a decade.

-

“Did you catch him?”

The piercing stare of Amateratsu bore into him, shining light into what was once darkness.

Sasuke’s haunted face looked eerie under candlelight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes about the modified structure of this world:
> 
> \- The daimyo is the highest leader, second only to the emperor. Kushina controls everything a feudal lord would.  
> \- The hokage is the military leader and, since their military is based on ninjas, he is known as the shadow leader.  
> \- The Anbu is an elite ninja organization that is kept as a tight secret. Masks are used for the sole purpose of anonymity and there's no obvious hierarchical structure to it.  
> \- Children still get raised in a military environment, but I decided to make them older than they are in the events of the manga. Naruto still gets a military education cause that's common to many military-focused societies, so he learns to be a ninja but is not expected to continue when he graduates.
> 
> I'd like to thank you so much for continuing to read this! It's been a long year for all of us. I am so stoked with your kind words and how well received this fic of mine was. I just wanted to give a heads-up that this fic will be slowly updated. I lost practically all I've written for this, and, on top of dealing with health issues, re-writing has proven harder than it seemed. I decided to take it easy and work on other plots I have in mind at the same time, to see if I cheer up a bit. So I might pop up another short fic before I update chapter 3.


	3. three

Naruto picked up his bamboo brush, carefully dipping it in ink. He breathed in and out slowly, making sure the brush was loaded but not dripping. Focusing on the rice paper in front of him, he started writing, not aiming for any particular outcome.

Practicing _shodo_ at the end of his heat was a habit his father taught him. The dancing strokes, forming connected letters, brought him joy and peace of mind, helping disperse the last of the heat fog. His body wand mind were finally coming down from the high, and it could be jarring.

It was early morning and he worked until the sun washed his room halfway in golden, warm light. Head clear and body back under control, he smiled in relief. Methodically putting away his materials, he cleaned his brush, leaving three pieces of paper drying over the table. 

A snort broke out of him unexpectedly at the sight of the first word - ramen - written in curly, too graceful calligraphy. Snickering, he perused the other two words - the second looked strange, somehow. Like each part made a painful effort to connect with one another.

A sigh, a huff, and a pout followed each other.

_Mates_ read strange because it obviously reflected his insecurities from the past - the past _past_ , to be honest. The last one, however, was a beautiful rendition of Sasuke’s name in bold brushes. Ugh, of course, he would wax poetic about the bastard at the end of his heat like that. 

Naruto stretched, then, after perusing his works, feeling a few pops and sore muscles. He bathed diligently and dressed in his softest orange kimono, adding a white _haori_ on top. Summer was full in, but his body’s temperature would be adjusting throughout the day today and he couldn’t afford to catch a cold. 

He made his way to the main house, stomach grumbling, not forgetting to greet his servants cheerfully. He vaguely remembered asking one of them to take Sasuke’s kimono and deliver it to him, and he wouldn’t dare ask anything about it.

Even _thinking_ about it made him blush, his heated omega mind might have thought it funny or even spiteful, but when the fog lowered, all Naruto had left was embarrassment. He really hoped he asked someone chill, though. His attendants will never say a word about it, naturally.

“Naruto!”

“Naruto-niisan, you’re here!”

Momo and Chiyo greeted him enthusiastically, hugging Naruto within an inch of his life. The twin alpha girls were a funny combination of both his parents - Momo with long, straight red hair and blue eyes, Chiyo with spiky blonde medium hair and lilac eyes. There was a three-year difference between Naruto and them.

_A difference in those who birthed them, too._

It was a rare occurrence, but an omega male could technically get a female alpha pregnant. And his mom was very adamant about carrying their first child (but _only_ the first child, as Naruto’s birth was quite a traumatizing ordeal).

“You must be starving,” Chiyo said, pulling his arm.

“Dad has set a banquet big enough for an army,” Momo chimed in, following them in the direction of the main dining room.

Naruto chuckled, “Dad always overreacts, nothing new.”

“We should plan a trip to the waterfalls soon,” Chiyo mentions, “Summer isn’t going to last forever, and you promised us, ya know?”

“Of course, I do! Let’s go two weeks from now, then. We can spend a couple of days…”

“Yeah!” both twins cheered, punching the air.

They moved on to inform him of what happened during the past four days, but nothing seemed relevant enough for Naruto to remember. Soon, they reached the dining hall, where a ridiculous amount of food was set on the table. 

The three siblings looked at each other and burst out laughing.

-

After lunch, Naruto went back to his wing, heading over to the main office there. Atsumu, his personal assistant, brought him a few letters and a scroll. 

“The mail from the previous days is on your desk, Naruto-sama.”

“Thank you, Atsumu. Please take today off too, I’ll only go back to work tomorrow, yeah?”

“Very well, Naruto-sama. Please call me if you need me,” he spoke softly and left as quietly as he came in.

_Uh, that sounded like the opposite of taking the day off._

His servants kept swindling him like that.

He perused the senders of each letter and arranged them in order of importance. The scroll piqued his interest, but it came from Sai, so it would definitely go dead last. He piled them over the table and checked the envelopes there, stopping short at a small one printed with the Uchiha crest. There was a small card inside and, from what he knows of Atsumu’s organization, it arrived yesterday evening.

Well, his heat-clouded brain might have been onto something. 

He smiled devilishly, thinking about Sasuke receiving his kimono. These letters could wait, he _did_ have the day off still, and he wouldn’t act like Atsumu. He headed over to the entrance of his wing, feeling his Anbu security already buzzing from the sight of him outside. 

_Heh, let them catch up with me._

He jumped to the nearest three, quickly making his way out of the tall walls that guarded the daimyo residence, heading northeast. Itachi probably changed his security detail - he always did, after realizing Naruto sneaked in once again. 

Which was quite silly, at this point.

At the gates of the Uchiha residence, he concentrated on disguising his chakra and understanding the new guard rotation. It took him about fifteen minutes, but he finally got in, jumping inside Sasuke’s inner quarters as quietly as he could.

The alpha’s private living room looked as tidy as an inhabitable room could be, not a single thing out of place. Naruto felt the irrational urge to mess it all up but managed to curb it and got to Sasuke’s room. As soon as he opened the doors, Yuki gasped, letting a bunch of white sheets fall.

“Naruto-sama! I apologize, I wasn’t warned about your presence!”

Poor Yuki, Naruto thought, it’s been years of this, and the guy still didn’t get used to his little infiltrations. 

“I’m the one who’s sorry for startling you, heh. You didn’t get the memo cause I didn’t come in by the main entrance.”

Realization hit the servant, who gingerly collected the bedding on the floor, “Right, of course. Um, I’ll head out but Sasuke-sama should be back in an hour or so.”

“Awesome, I’ll wait here. Thanks Yuki! Oh… and maybe don’t tell Itachi just yet?” He asked, probably futilely, but added a bright smile either way.

Yuki blushed, stuttering a “H-ai!” before leaving.

Naruto entered Sasuke’s bedroom, remembering the last time they met here. It was right before the alpha left for his mission - with no warning whatsoever, mind you. Naruto was fuming, crazy to start up a fight, especially when Sasuke looked so unfazed. 

Their last discussion looked so silly now when put into perspective. They ended up arguing about it from time to time - about the fact that Sasuke refused to agree to spending heats and ruts together before the wedding. 

And it wasn’t entirely unreasonable either - doing that was a surefire way to get Naruto knocked up, and _that_ would be a proper scandal. But he couldn’t help it, sometimes, with the longing his heats brought him. With having the love of his life so near, and yet.

Naruto had _needs_ alright? And his alpha boyfriend was insanely hot. He had a gorgeous dick. It looked like it would break Naruto in the best way possible.

He shook his head hard, trying to get rid of his impure thoughts. It would do him no good dueling about it much longer, so he contented himself with snooping around the room. The door to his dressing room was slightly ajar, so Naruto casually strolled in, touching soft fabrics, and brushing his fingers on leather and metal apparel. 

Over the dressing table, a wine-colored velvet bundle sat, unsuspicious. Of course, it meant that Naruto had the obligation to check it out. Sasuke was always so weird about tidying up, why did he leave this here? The heavy fabric yielded, revealing a porcelain mask broken in half.

Naruto laughed out loud.

When he was sixteen, Naruto learned, through a slightly illegal and risky information extraction operation, that Sasuke's first Anbu mask was that of a duck. For many months after that, he could not bear to look in the face of his then-rival without bursting out laughing. Even now he could not help it.

It was a kind of an initiation ceremony, giving the organization's freshmen a ridiculous animal. The mask changed over time, either due to a change in hierarchy or to maintain the anonymity of its members, should their identity be revealed. The animals sculpted in the porcelain masks, each unique, would eventually symbolize the values of the ninja who wore them.

His mother never fully explained to him how Anbu was organized nor she gave him access far beyond what anyone with ninja training would have. Combined with Sasuke's refusal to talk about his missions and Anbu in general, Naruto knew much less than he would have liked. It was just another thing he knew he would have to endure but didn’t have the actual patience for it.

He heard movement outside the window and dropped the piece of mask he was holding without thinking. His nose tingled, guiding him back to the bedroom just in time to see Sasuke entering, his smell surrounding him like a languid, soft cat. It was comfortable, familiar, and he wanted to wrap himself around the alpha, mingle their scents together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I finally managed to take back my grasp on this story. Letting go of my original script was hard but necessary, now I remember what I wanted to explore in this story, so I'll rewrite it freely. So... this chapter served to lighten the mood a bit. Sasuke and Naruto will finally meet! This is the longest I've held out so far lmao.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very sorry this is not an update. I was hospitalized for almost a month and forgot my email password. This makes me unable to access the chapters I already wrote for this fic, or my plot outline. I will slowly write it again, but it'll take me some time.


End file.
